Travel Tales: Seeing History

Issue 100 January 2013

In the centuries following the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims from Arabia travelled across the world to spread the message of Islam. They travelled far and wide, working as merchants and scholars, bringing back goods and knowledge to help the Muslim Empire progress.

In the centuries following the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims from Arabia travelled across the world to spread the message of Islam. They travelled far and wide, working as merchants and scholars, bringing back goods and knowledge to help the Muslim Empire progress. Today, we know that Muslims established themselves in Arabia, Persia, Central Asia, India, South-East Asia, Turkey, Africa, Sicily, Spain, Portugal and Eastern Europe.

In each of these places are traces of Islamic history, so we should actively visit these places to learn more about the Muslims that came before us. It is important for us to acknowledge our history so that we are able to understand how past societies lived and functioned. Each group of people would have had a different lifestyle and way of thinking to us and there is definitely much that we can learn from them. Above all, we should be aware of what they did, so that we do not repeat their mistakes and can progress further as human beings in this world. Moreover, in all of these places Islam is presented in a different way, For example, Africa is home to mosques that were built from mud bricks.

At its pinnacle, the Muslim Empires reached as far west as Spain, where it was under the control of the Moors. Muslims were able to maintain a presence in Spain for over 700 years, and during this time, they helped to improve trade and agriculture in the country, as well as enhancing the culture of the local people. Cordoba became one of the most sophisticated cities in that time, with 70 libraries and was the first city in Europe to have street lights. The Alhambra palace was also built by the Muslims in Granada, and has now become one of Spain’s major tourist attractions.